We took the subway back home only to head back into Manhattan again in the afternoon. We wanted to be part of a historic event: the NY Central Labor Council was calling on its members to demonstrate against the Republicans. They wanted regime change here at home because the Bush administration has shown itself a sworn enemy of labor and working people. The latest insult came this week as Bush removed regulations that guarantee overtime pay to millions of American workers.
We arrived at 8th Avenue to find it filled for blocks and blocks with members of the city's multi-national organized work force. Black, white, Latino were arm-in-arm and mad as hell at the mere mention, from the speaker's podium, of the President's name. Speaker after speaker urged them to get out the vote on November 2nd. John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, Randy Weingarten, President of the UFT and many others addressed the crowd who responded with cheers and applause. But the most impassioned speech of the day came from actor and activist, Danny Glover who said "you are the workers and you have always been the ones to lead the fight for progress in our world."
Singer-songwriter, Steve Earle and Tom Morello, The Night Watchman, sang to the throng. It was a beautiful thing to see ironworkers, janitors, nurses, teachers, musicians, firemen -- thousands and thousands of the city's laborers out in force in opposition to Bush. "Two more months!" was the chant of the day - a fitting answer to the "four more years" that has droned on inside Madison Square Garden.
Local 802 - the NY Musicians Union lines up on 8th Avenue.
The Ironworkers -- "No more Bush!"
The Communicagtion Workers of America were very spirited.
A group of the newly-merged Unite-HERE (needle trades and hotel workers unions) marching behind a Working Families Party banner on 8th Avenue.
The crowd listening to a passionate plea from Danny Glover -
You are the workers and you must fight this injustice!"
Steve Earle (l) and Tom Morello (in black) warm up the crowd with their songs.
To see more of my photos from the Labor Against Bush demonstration, visit my sight on Smugmug ... just click here.
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